Bindu Vailassery's 150-Day Fast: A Symbol of Kerala's Landless Tribals

Malappuram - Amidst all the chaos of the city, people generally miss out on many structurally excluded individuals fighting for their rights. One such fight that the public is missing out on is the one undertaken by Bindu Vailassery. Tucked in the tribal land of Malappuram in picturesque Kerala is this tribeswoman who is fasting until death for her community to receive the land promised to them by the Supreme Court. It has been more than a hundred and fifty days since she began her fast.

Bindu is a daily wage worker and a member of the Paniya tribe of Nilambur, Malappuram. She reignited the protest on the 10th of May this year to demand action on the court's judgment. Many Dalits and Adivasis remained landless even after the nation carried out land reforms. In 2009, tribal activist Nalla Thamby Thera approached the court to demand their rightful land. A bench consisting of Justices S B Sinha and Mukundakam Sharma provided relief to the community by directing the state government to provide land to the landless families of the Scheduled Tribes under Section 6 of the Kerala Government Land Assignment Act, 1960 (30 of 1960), and the rules issued thereunder within a period of two years. To date, the government has not acted on the decision.

The particular judgment talked about the allocation of non-agricultural land and is different from the one mentioned under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006, Amendment 2012. The FRA recommends allocating forest lands to the tribal population. Even then, the state of Kerala has not fully implemented the act. Till now, only the state of Odisha has implemented the act all over the state.

Bindu joined 200 families on the 10th of May and started her fast on the 11th of May this year. Making a roadside shed her roof, the tribeswoman has not been consuming any solid food but surviving on water and doses of glucose. On many occasions, she has even refused to drink water. The 29th of June marked the 50th day of her fast, and it was also the time when her health had severely deteriorated. She was rushed to the nearby health center, but she returned to her protest as soon as she could. Health officials conduct regular checkups, but Bindu remains steadfast. The last checkup was held on the 6th of October when she was suggested to be shifted to a hospital, but she rejected the advice. Speaking to local media, the brave woman said, “I am hopeful that my hunger strike will yield results. I am really tired and have health issues. The government is answerable if anything happens to me during this protest. I will end it on the day the tribespeople get the land they deserve.”

Adivasi Bhoosamara Sahaya Samithi (ABSS), a collective of tribals and an organization supporting the protests, is demanding 538 acres of land in Malappuram alone. According to the collective, the government is not able to ‘find’ any land to give them. The state has 250 acres of land so far. The collective believes that every tribal family should receive at least 1 acre of land. Giridhas Peruvambatam, the convener of ABSS, is looking forward to swift implementation, but there has been no positive response yet.

Krishnan Eranhikkal, ABSS chairman, is feeling dejected. According to him, the government is deliberately sabotaging the court order since it has been years. The local media further reported the chairman as saying, “They have not yet taken a progressive step even after 14 years. The state has breached the court order, and we have decided to approach the Supreme Court seeking action against the state on contempt of court charges.” The collective is now deciding to take matters to a bigger level. Apart from approaching the Supreme Court once again, the communities and organizations are thinking of carrying out several state-wide protests. They feel the government has fooled them for fourteen years, but they have had enough. The groups will be calling organizations from all over the nation to support them in their fight.

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